The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. HEI 10-256743 filed on Sep. 10, 1998 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This invention also relates to a remote control method.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote control apparatus and, more particularly, to a remote control apparatus that performs a code verifying operation through communication with a mobile unit and permits or prohibits use of a remotely located operating machine based on the verification result.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the related art, there is known a remote control apparatus that performs a code collating operation through communication with a mobile unit and permits or prohibits use of a remotely located operating machine based on the collation result.
For example, according to what is disclosed in JP 7-150835, a high-frequency electromagnetic field is generated in one of the antennas located at a plurality of locations such as a door of a vehicle, a driver""s seat and the like, when a transmission request is made. Then a mobile unit, such as a driver""s license, receives the high-frequency electromagnetic field and converts it into electric power, that is used to retrieve a data signal of a predetermined code from the mobile unit. The antenna on the vehicle side that has generated the above-described high-frequency electromagnetic field receives the data signal. If the received code coincides with the predetermined stored code, control operations such as unlocking the vehicle doors, permitting the engine to start and the like are performed depending on the antenna that received the data signal, and made the transmission request.
In the related art, in order to perform control operations such as unlocking the vehicle doors, permitting the engine to start and the like, an antenna serving as transmission request means and an oscillation circuit are provided at a plurality of locations of the vehicle. Thus, in the case when a malfunction occurs with any of the transmission request means or with the mobile unit, it is difficult to determine where a failure has occurred.
The present invention has been developed in response to the aforementioned circumstances. An object of the present invention is to provide a remote control apparatus that can determine easily where a failure has occurred when a malfunction occurs with any of the transmission request devices or a mobile unit with the aid of a failure diagnosing device that diagnoses the presence of a failure in the respective transmission request means.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, the remote control apparatus includes a plurality of transmission request devices, a mobile unit, a receiver, an operation control device, and a failure diagnosing device. Each of the plurality of transmission request devices transmit a transmission request signal. The mobile unit transmits a response signal in response to the transmission request signal. The receiver receives the response signal that was transmitted in response to the transmission request signal, The operation control device controls an operation state of an operating machine depending on whether or not the receiver has received the response signal. The failure diagnosing device diagnoses a failure in each of the transmission request devices.
As described above, the remote control apparatus of the first aspect has a failure diagnosing device for diagnosing a failure in each of the transmission request devices. Therefore, when a malfunction occurs with any of the transmission request devices or the mobile unit, it is possible to recognize easily where a failure has occurred. In addition to the feature of the construction of the first aspect, the failure diagnosing device may further include a mode switching device for introducing a failure diagnosing mode into the operation control device, and a transmission request selection device for selecting one of the transmission request devices in the failure diagnosing mode and causing the selected transmission request device to transmit a transmission request signal.
Thus, when the failure diagnosing mode is introduced into the operation control device, one of the transmission request devices is selected and required to transmit a transmission request signal. Hence, the mobile unit is placed at various locations within a detectable zone of the transmission request signal from the selected transmission request device, and the operation thereof can be confirmed based on a state of communication between the transmission request device and the mobile unit.
Furthermore, the failure diagnosing device may further include a warning device which operates when the transmission request device fails.
Furthermore, the failure diagnosing device may also include a selection switching device for switching sequentially between the transmission request devices that are selected by the transmission request selection device. Thus, one of the transmission request devices to be selected by the transmission request selection device is sequentially switched from one to another. The operation of the transmission request devices can be confirmed one by one.
Furthermore, the mode switching device may be designed to introduce the failure diagnosing mode by means of a specific operation of the mobile unit. Thus, the operation control device is introduced by means of a specific operation of the mobile unit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unexpected introduction of the failure diagnosing mode during a normal state of use and eliminate the need to provide a button that is used exclusively for switching modes.
According to the present invention, the remote control method comprising the steps of providing a plurality of transmission request devices for transmitting a transmission request signal, a mobile unit for transmitting a response signal in response to the transmission request signal, a receiver for receiving the response signal transmitted in response to the transmission request signal and an operation control device for controlling an operation state of an operating machine depending on whether or not the receiver has received the response signal, switching the operation control device into a failure diagnosing mode, selecting one of the transmission request devices in the failure diagnosing mode, causing the selected transmission request device to transmit a transmission request signal, receiving the response signal transmitted in response to the transmission request signal, performing a code verifying operation through communication between the transmission request device and the mobile unit and diagnosing a failure in the selected transmission request device based on the result of the code verification.
As described above, when a malfunction occurs with any of the transmission request devices or the mobile unit, it is possible to recognize easily where a failure has occurred.